Interval International makes dramatic changes to their unit upsize exchange policy, and ? upgrade to higher season policy.

[BrownThunder]

At some point, the pattern becomes more important than any single policy. And the pattern, at least from where I sit, is difficult to ignore: weeks owners are increasingly being treated as an obstacle to be managed rather than as owners whose interests deserve equal consideration.

That raises an important question for existing weeks owners: at what point does the continuing erosion of the weeks value proposition change the economics of ownership itself?

I suspect there is a subset of owners who already understand where this is headed. They own their weeks outright, they understand how to extract value from them, and they have watched MVW's policies evolve over the past decade. These owners are in a very different position from someone who is simply being presented with the latest points sales pitch.

If enough of those owners reach the same conclusion—that the value and flexibility of weeks ownership are being deliberately diminished—I would not be surprised to see an increase in resale listings between now and year-end.

And that, ironically, may become one of the more consequential unintended consequences of these policies.

For anyone considering MVC/MVW ownership today, my advice is considerably simpler than the sales presentation:

Don't.

At least not until you have looked carefully at what you are actually buying, how the rules have changed over the past decade, and where those changes appear to be taking the product.

Because the question isn't simply whether you can get value from an MVC/MVW ownership.

The question is whether MVW intends to let you keep getting that value on your terms.

And Marriott has been pretty upfront about their interest to force weeks owners to convert to points so everyone's on equal footing. I kind of get where they're coming from because you're at a major disadvantage when you have points and are trying to book at high demand places like Oceanwatch during the summer. It's basically impossible because everyone's already got weeks there and they're already booked, so unless you get lucky with a waitlist request and someone deposits their week, you're not getting anything.

But I guess my point is that I agree with this statement. We'll keep seeing the erosion of the value of weeks until they make it no longer feasible for those owners.

 

[Big Matt]

And Marriott has been pretty upfront about their interest to force weeks owners to convert to points so everyone's on equal footing. I kind of get where they're coming from because you're at a major disadvantage when you have points and are trying to book at high demand places like Oceanwatch during the summer. It's basically impossible because everyone's already got weeks there and they're already booked, so unless you get lucky with a waitlist request and someone deposits their week, you're not getting anything.

But I guess my point is that I agree with this statement. We'll keep seeing the erosion of the value of weeks until they make it no longer feasible for those owners.

To your point, MVC is really disadvantaged by some of their most popular and long standing resorts. A lot of people who own at places like Grande Ocean and the other HHI resorts just don't trade or even belong to Interval. Longer term they will probably tightly integrate with Interval along all of their brands and create a semi-closed model.

 

[vacationtime1]

The underlying issue is that Marriott sells Abound points on the representation that Abound points will allow their owners to reserve Maui, Hilton Head, and other places where the Abound trust does not own inventory. Marriott must then do things to get the owners of Maui and Hilton Head units to make their units available.

The Interval changes are a small step in making this happen. By making exchanges of high end properties to other high end properties more difficult (by adding competition), Marriott indirectly encourages owners of its high end properties to elect Abound points rather than to exchange in Interval.

 

[Hindsite]

The Interval changes are a small step in making this happen. By making exchanges of high end properties to other high end properties more difficult (by adding competition), Marriott indirectly encourages owners of its high end properties to elect Abound points rather than to exchange in Interval.

This will be interesting to watch, as the gap for me between II and Abound is so big I struggle to see how they can close it and I don't even own any weeks considered "good" traders.

A Hawaii studio already sees a staggering amount of inventory up 2 unit sizes, they might see their unit upgrade fees reduced to zero if they are trading to a different location. It will be interesting to see what a DVC Orlando 2-bed costs in additional fees, if anything, for that.

 

[hajjah]

Update:
So I guess that my studio units will now be useless. I just did a search in the new system. For me to exchange a studio unit in December to a 2 bedroom will be an additional $599. I may as well start using AirBnB's. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[dioxide45]

Update:
So I guess that my studio units will now be useless. I just did a search in the new system. For me to exchange a studio unit in December to a 2 bedroom will be an additional $599. I may as well start using AirBnB's. Please correct me if I am wrong.

View attachment 129930

There is a thread in the sightings forum where people are reporting the tier of their deposits. 7 certainly is weak, but not much less than an Orlando studio which ours come in at 11. This is certainly a situation where it will cost more to do the same thing as before. Not sure that Airbnb is cheaper but it certainly got more expensive overnight to use II.

 

[chriskre]

There is a thread in the sightings forum where people are reporting the tier of their deposits. 7 certainly is weak, but not much less than an Orlando studio which ours come in at 11. This is certainly a situation where it will cost more to do the same thing as before. Not sure that Airbnb is cheaper but it certainly got more expensive overnight to use II.

Might as well start using those ACs for Orlando.

 

[hajjah]

Ok, so I've only kept my 4 studio units since 2012 to trade into Marriotts. It seems now that I may as well get rid of them and rent wherever I choose to go. As a matter of fact, I have a two bedroom unit at Newport Beach for November that I paid $1,800 to Interval as a Getaway. By the time I pay the maintenance fees for the studios, it may no longer be cost effective.

I currently have 2 AC's that are much cheaper as of now.

 

[davemy]

This is what I am seeing. I played around for an hour. I own MGC. Usually a very good trader. I pick high demand weeks. Using a one bedroom to look around. ( Trade Power 19) Trading to Aruba, Marriott Beach Place, Ocean Pointe, Barony, Surfwatch, Ocean watch. My one bedroom exchange to a 2 bedroom is costing $598.00. That trade use to cost around $400.00 with upgrade fee. It is now approximately $200.00 more. Trading into Key West Hyatt's in January 2027, very pricey. A Plus 12 or higher exchange upgrade I am going to really have to love the trade to complete it.

 

[WBP]

It is profoundly disappointing to witness what I believe Marriott Vacations Worldwide has done to Interval International.

When former Diamond leadership became involved with Marriott Vacations Worldwide, I expressed serious concerns about what that change in leadership could mean for Marriott Vacations Worldwide, and all of its business units, including Interval International. Unfortunately, many of those concerns now appear to have been justified. From my perspective, the decisions and direction of the company have raised serious questions about its stewardship, priorities, and commitment to the interests of its customers.

I believe Marriott Vacations Worldwide is being led down a deeply troubling path, and I believe accountability ultimately rests with the company’s Board of Directors. The Board, under the leadership of William Shaw, has a responsibility to exercise meaningful oversight and to address the concerns surrounding the company’s direction.

The deterioration I believe has occurred at Interval International is not something I can simply dismiss as a matter of changing business strategy. In my view, it represents a profound failure of leadership and stewardship. I hope the MVW Board takes these concerns seriously before the consequences become even more damaging to Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Interval International, and the customers who have placed their trust in them.

 

[BigDawgTUG]

Overall, I also see these changes as negatively impacting our ownership, and I plan to convey that at every sales presentation that I attend (it will be my new reason for not buying - always easier to get out of a presentation early by having a good reason not to buy). In the past, I have routinely traded my Canyon Villas and Grande Vista lock-off units for 2BRs at Aruba, Maui, Kauai and the like. I do, however, see one positive. My lowly (Trading Power 13) Canyon Villa studio is now seeing availability at Hyatt Vacation Club at Highlands Inn. I have not seen that as available since the COVID days. So, perhaps it is true that we will now have trade options we did not have before, albeit it will come at a cost. In this case, in addition to the $264 non-Marriott Exchange Fee, there is a $399 upgrade fee. Not a taker at this time. What is odd, however, is that I am not really seeing any additional inventory at Maui or Kauai that I was not seeing yesterday. So, just not clear to me how much additional inventory we will be seeing than typical. Also, it seems that last minute trades won't have the upgrade fee? If so, I'll most likely shift towards taking more last minute trips.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Overall, I also see these changes as negatively impacting our ownership, and I plan to convey that at every sales presentation that I attend (it will be my new reason for not buying - always easier to get out of a presentation early by having a good reason not to buy). In the past, I have routinely traded my Canyon Villas and Grande Vista lock-off units for 2BRs at Aruba, Maui, Kauai and the like. I do, however, see one positive. My lowly (Trading Power 13) Canyon Villa studio is now seeing availability at Hyatt Vacation Club at Highlands Inn. I have not seen that as available since the COVID days. So, perhaps it is true that we will now have trade options we did not have before, albeit it will come at a cost. In this case, in addition to the $264 non-Marriott Exchange Fee, there is a $399 upgrade fee. Not a taker at this time. What is odd, however, is that I am not really seeing any additional inventory at Maui or Kauai that I was not seeing yesterday. So, just not clear to me how much additional inventory we will be seeing than typical. Also, it seems that last minute trades won't have the upgrade fee? If so, I'll most likely shift towards taking more last minute trips.

But Marriott presentations aren't about II trading power. The "point" is to buy Abound and get anything you want and forget II.

 

[BigDawgTUG]

But Marriott presentations aren't about II trading power. The "point" is to buy Abound and get anything you want and forget II.

I totally get that, but, especially for legacy owners, it's hard to get excited about buying anything when we've seen a slow and steady degradation to the value of what they were pushing on us pre-2010. If they are only in it for the next buck, and as it appears that they don't care so much about the overall user experience, then it's not a far stretch to believe that in 10+ years we'll be talking about the slow and steady degradation of the value of the points system. With any purchase, there needs to be some element of trust, and MVC has provided us with lots of reason to believe that what we enjoy today may not be around tomorrow.

 

[SMB1]

I would feel much better about this if we could trade into a lower tier and the left over "units" could be used toward another exchange, like I can in RCI. On the other hand, in RCI, if I don't have enough "trade power units" I don't have the option to pay the extra fee to get a higher exchange... At least I don't think I can... I've only used RCI once.

 

[davidvel]

But Marriott presentations aren't about II trading power. The "point" is to buy Abound and get anything you want and forget II.

That is how they spin, it you just need to throw it back at them. They are basically selling you that what they sold before is now crap due to their policies. According to them, they made what they sold you junk.

When they tell you weeks and II don't work anymore, tell them that is exactly why you will not buy. You don't trust the company to not devalue what they are now selling in the future, just so they can sell you something else.

 

[hajjah]

I left RCI years ago, but I need to check further to see if I can exchange my 4 studio units in Cocoa Beach with them instead of II. At least their Last Calls were a good bargain.
Update: I looked back on TUG, 2024/5 for information regarding RCI and Ocean Landings. It's not clear if this resort exchanges with RCI. I may rejoin RCI to use their Last Calls.

 

[rickandcindy23]

That is how they spin, it you just need to throw it back at them. They are basically selling you that what they sold before is now crap due to their policies. According to them, they made what they sold you junk.

When they tell you weeks and II don't work anymore, tell them that is exactly why you will not buy. You don't trust the company to not devalue what they are now selling in the future, just so they can sell you something else.

Okay, now I have a plan for my next presentation. The downgrade for my Shadow Ridge Villages weeks is going to sting--a lot.

 

[WorldT]

I would feel much better about this if we could trade into a lower tier and the left over "units" could be used toward another exchange, like I can in RCI. On the other hand, in RCI, if I don't have enough "trade power units" I don't have the option to pay the extra fee to get a higher exchange... At least I don't think I can... I've only used RCI once.

If your trading power is in RCI points, you can rent extra to reach your target. I don't see the same option for TPUs .

 

[CalGalTraveler]

And Marriott has been pretty upfront about their interest to force weeks owners to convert to points so everyone's on equal footing. I kind of get where they're coming from because you're at a major disadvantage when you have points and are trying to book at high demand places like Oceanwatch during the summer. It's basically impossible because everyone's already got weeks there and they're already booked, so unless you get lucky with a waitlist request and someone deposits their week, you're not getting anything.

But I guess my point is that I agree with this statement. We'll keep seeing the erosion of the value of weeks until they make it no longer feasible for those owners.

Problem is many weeks owners are aging out or have alternatives. They will not convert. They will leave. That's my plan.

 

[LEMONLEE]

Is there any way to tell the trading power of a week before you bank it. I have a week banked already from HVC KBC that I have a pending request on and it says the TDI is 21. Want to know what the TDI of my July Newport week is to see whether we should even bother renewing with Interval.

 

[5finny]

Is there any way to tell the trading power of a week before you bank it. I have a week banked already from HVC KBC that I have a pending request on and it says the TDI is 21. Want to know what the TDI of my July Newport week is to see whether we should even bother renewing with Interval.

Go too your II account
Hit exchange tab
Hit my units
If the trading power is still unassigned you will see:
View Deposit trading Power
Answer is 27
My guess would have been higher

​

 

[amsunshine]

Update:
So I guess that my studio units will now be useless. I just did a search in the new system. For me to exchange a studio unit in December to a 2 bedroom will be an additional $599. I may as well start using AirBnB's. Please correct me if I am wrong.

View attachment 129930

Actually, wouldn’t you have previously had a 200 upgrade fee from studio to 2 bedroom? So it’s an additional 399, I think? Still…

 

[amsunshine]

Go too your II account
Hit exchange tab
Hit my units
If the trading power is still unassigned you will see:
View Deposit trading Power
Answer is 27
My guess would have been higher

​

The 2 bedrooms seem to have lower value than combined 1 bedrooms.

 

[amsunshine]

Okay, now I have a plan for my next presentation. The downgrade for my Shadow Ridge Villages weeks is going to sting--a lot.

What are the point values?

 

[5finny]

The 2 bedrooms seem to have lower value than combined 1 bedrooms. Is there even such a thing? I thought NCV were just 2 Bedrooms?